TalkingPets lets you make pets talk using a text-to speech system. Choose a pet from a selection of cats and dogs. Accessorize your choice or upload your own pet's picture and attach a virtual mouth. You choose the type of voice and write the text for your pet. The text length is limited. (There are also some phrases already "ready to go.") Put commas between the words to make pets speak more slowly. Students will love creating pets and making them talk.This site can be useful to increase interest with younger students when creating and writing in the classroom. Finished projects can be emailed; recipients will receive a link to access the talking pet. Here is an example, just for fun.

In the Classroom

Share "advertisements" for student writing projects by letting them choose a pet, accessorize, then type in an excerpt from their writing. Share an entire short passage such as writings by very young students or targeted writing examples such as sentences using vivid adjectives, Share finished projects by emailing to yourself, then adding the urls on your classroom webpage or blog. With older students, have the pets tell the students what to do at the start of class or leave one of these "pet avatars" for a substitute to provide directions to your class with a furry twist!

Utubersity presents the best educational videos available on YouTube in an organized, easy to find way to watch and learn. The site can be searched in several ways. The home page offers choices of newest, popular, and featured videos. At the top of the page, you can choose from the categories of lectures, documentaries, or conferences. More specific categories of lecture topics are included on the left of the home page, here you can narrow down searches to areas such as geography, sports, education, biology, economy, and much more. If searching for something more specific, type your query in the search bar to find included results. Over 18,000 videos are available with more being added all the time, making this site worth bookmarking for future use. If YouTube is not accessible in your school, you could always view that at home and bring them to class "on a stick" to share. Use a tool such as KeepVid reviewed here to download the videos from YouTube.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Use this site as a resource for videos to use in the classroom. Have art students use Screenr (reviewed here) to make narrated recordings about videos that they find on this site. Share this site with gifted students who are delving deeper into topics than your current curriculum allows. This is a great site to share on your class blog, wiki, or website for students to use for extra practice or advancement.

JustPaste.it is a quick, online way to share text and images with others. It features an easy-to-use text editor with text formatting function. Just paste text from another webpage or word processor and text formatting and images will be preserved. By using the "Upload images" module you can easily add new graphics to your notes. If you have written your note originally using a word processor: Microsoft Word, MS Works or Open Office, simply upload it to the server using "Import from file" function. Text formatting and graphics will be preserved. When finished creating your text, click Publish to receive the html code, forum code, and url link. Or create your own custom url through the Custom page name option at the top right. Notes can also be edited through the link provided after publication. The finished product can also be easily saved as a PDF file, just scroll to the bottom of the page and click the save to PDF link. This tool is simpler than setting up a Google Docs account, since it does not require email registration.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Copy and paste important information found on websites while viewing as a class into Just Paste It, then save as a pdf for students to have a hard copy or share a link to the information through your classroom website or blog. Challenge students to create their own "Paste It" to use to take research notes, write study notes for vocabulary, or many other uses. Have students create individual pages as part of classroom projects then share them using a tool such as Padlet (reviewed here) to create an online bulletin board to use to display information learned. Why would a teacher share text or images this way? Teachers can offer an assignment, a writing prompt, a vocab list, a story starter, handout, or even a permission slip for parents to download, print, and sign.

This site is exactly what its title indicates, but it's more. It's not just an audio dictionary program. At How to Pronounce Words and Use Them you see a selection of videos with the word, and different forms of the word being used in context. These are actual news stories, lectures, etc. where people are using the word for real! When you first arrive, you see a sample video. You can also click on one of the sample words at the bottom to see everything offered when you search a word. There is information about why it's important to see facial expressions when learning to pronounce a new word and why it's important not to use the word in isolation when learning to pronounce it. Be aware: this site allows any word to be typed into the text box, including words inappropriate for the classroom. Be sure students know consequences for inappropriate use of this tool just as they do for writing words on the board or in their assignments..

In the Classroom

If YouTube is blocked at your school, use a tool such as KeepVid reviewed here to download the videos from YouTube and to convert online videos such as the ones you find on YouTube into a portable format you can play at school.

Whether you're an English Language Arts teacher or an ESL/ELL teacher, this site can help your students learn new words. You might want to have students keep lists of words they come across in their reading. Then have them take turns using this site (at a center or individual laptops). Or, if YouTube is blocked at your school, have this site posted on your webpage for parent and student use at home.

If you are a science, history, math, or other subject area teacher, you might want to embed a few of the videos on your own page for weekly vocabulary.

The quality of the information on the videos is excellent. In the Common Core State Standards there is an emphasis on background knowledge. This program will not only help your students with vocabulary and word pronunciation, but will help them build their background knowledge!

You will also find links to make your own rubrics (or adapt others), adapt or create problem based check lists, find Webquests or Thinkquests, find tools for students to write persuasively, and you can view online lessons or create your own. Those are just a few of the resources you'll find at 4teachers.org. Enjoy 4teachers video channel to see tutorials and educational videos. You might also consider joining in a weekly teacher blog on structured topics and see the featured site of the week.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

This site is a great site to begin with basic understanding of technology in education. Tutorials explain many of the basics educators must have. Ready to use lessons, rubrics, and calendar resources are easily available. This is also a great site for Spanish resources. Share with colleagues to help boost your technology savvy classroom!

Create private or public sign ups for easy creation of snack lists, volunteer sheets, party planners, parent/teacher conference planning, or project preparation. Sign up for free using an email address (email verification not required). View your created sign ups under My Account. Be sure to view the Frequently Asked Questions for help in using this simple resource. Find complete guides for an even smoother sign up process under the Planning Resources tab. Follow the directions for creating your sign up including all the details. "Invite" and "Publish" to set your privacy options as well as enter the email information to send to others. Add a web button to your site to take users directly to your home page to find active sign ups (find this function under "My Account").

In the Classroom

The possibilities are endless. Use this for planning parties, bringing in materials for projects, and any other activity that requires coordination. If you have limited technology availability, this is a great way for teachers or students to sign up for time slots to use laptops, iPads, video cameras, or a podcast recording station. Go paperless with your signups! Share this tool at Back to School night (and with your room parent or PTO). Organize your parent/teacher conferences. Plan student research of class projects using this resource. Help students build organizational skills by having them "plan" a mythical event such as a museum opening for their Famous Scientists exhibit.

Use data from a spreadsheet to instantly create an interactive map. Search the Gallery for some great ideas for using spreadsheets to make a map. Watch the "What is this all about" video to see how easy it is to create a data map. Click "Create your map" to upload an excel or Google Docs file to be used. Users must be able to collect data using either an Excel spreadsheet or Google Spreadsheet. Upload the file to view the graphical data. Click Share to send to others. View your data in a graphical way! Data uploaded is viewable by the public. No login is required. Be sure that information used to create the graph is not private information.

In the Classroom

Consider identifying water/electric/gas usage in various areas in your school district. Use data about car ownership to identify trends in various locations. Collect information about wildlife sightings, traffic patterns, and other interesting information to view as a graph. Have students research countless trends from around the world and create maps to share ad explain on a projector or interactive whiteboard. Be sure to ask questions about what the data implies. Why does one location differ from another? Have students hypothesize what the data means, then research information to back up their hypothesis.

Join.me is a web browser-based tool that allows you to share your PC (or Mac) screen with anyone who has access to the web. To share your screen, simply download a small application to your Windows or Mac OS X PC. (Windows and Mac users can across platforms; it doesn't have to be Windows to Windows or Mac to Mac.) Send the 9-digit code generated to your collaborator (an email is automatically created). They either click a link in the email, or go to the join.me website and input the code, and they can see your screen. There is a share control feature that can be turned on allowing both users access to either computer. You may need to request download and install by school tech staff if computers are locked down for installing software. Test it out at home first.

In the Classroom

Screen share with students in computer labs to demonstrate items such as website addresses, how to locate information on websites, or when learning text editing features such as changing font size or color. Use this tool to collaborate with other teachers when creating lesson plans or student documents. Students with laptops can share the screen with the teacher during presentations to make information easier to view. Share this site with students to use at home when collaborating on projects. Help a homebound student by sharing your class computer screen and opening an audio connection on the phone. Offer "extra help" sessions via screen share at predetermined "office hours" or during a snow day. Have students teach tech skills to their peers using this free sharing app.

Disposable web page offers the convenience and freedom of sharing information on the Internet with little hassle. Each disposable webpage has a count down clock. Set the clock to count down anywhere from 90 days to 0 days from the time the page is created. When the remaining time reaches 00:00:00:00, the page is automatically set for disposal and will exist for 2 more weeks before being "incinerated." Features that can be included on the page are bookmarking, rich text editor, uploading up to 5 images, and sticky notes with sticky notes player. The page creator receives an editing "key," and can generate a new key for editing by others.

Unlike other web page and online project creators, this tool erases your digital footprint when it is no longer needed!

In the Classroom

Create pages for quick link sharing or for upcoming events such as field trips, class party information, school events, science fair, etc. Pages will automatically disappear after the event without any effort on your part. Create a page to countdown to standardized testing and allow students to add tips and advice on the page as the countdown goes on. This site could be used during long term projects to help students "stay on track." Students can create simple pages to share links to include in presentations so classmates can participate on laptops.

Find inspiring, age-appropriate, real-life stories, videos, and projects to share with the children and teens. The site hopes to help these students take positive actions and become the best people they can be. Stories offer great examples of values like courage, determination, honesty, humility, kindness, responsibility, and tolerance. The stories range from incredible kids inspiring other kids, to amazing animals demonstrating admirable qualities, to the invention of inspirational social causes. Stories are searchable in several ways - by values, topics, age range, and format. Formats include articles, podcasts, reference, and videos. You can also sign up for the site's newsletter including updates and new article information.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Share stories from the site on your interactive whiteboard or projector when learning about character traits such as sportsmanship, perseverance, and responsibility. Use the site as a resource when problems arise in the classroom such as bullying, intolerance, or special needs awareness. Have students use resources from the website as models for writing their own articles or creating a podcast. Use a site such as PodOmatic (reviewed here). Use the stories as models for writing activities and essays. Your students could also draw inspiration from this site to create values comics using one of many comic creation tools in this TeachersFirst collection.

Create Jeopardy style games that are hosted online. Add images, video, and audio to each "answer." Use of this resource requires registration (email verification required). Click on each square, enter text, images, video, or audio and click OK. Use the URL to share with others to play.

In the Classroom

This would be a fantastic way to find out what students know about a topic prior to studying in class. Use this as a review, to learn vocabulary, or for rich learning opportunities. Have students create their own games/activities to share with the class. Learning support students would respond well to creating review games rather than doing "traditional" review.

Magnoto can be your personal spot on the web. Though called a blog site, it offers a place to stick your "virtual post-its." You can add all types of components into a visual space: links, images, text, videos, music, and more. Its more like a community scrap-blog for those who venture to try it out! It is free, easy to use, and makes for exciting communication between students and teachers. Since this tool offers a great deal of room for personal expression, it is a great way to differentiate instruction for all. Tools like this are especially ideal for the "quiet types" who truly do have things they want to say or express. This tool is in its "beta" run which means it may have an occasional glitch. Check out the sample here.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Ideas for using Magnoto can be found on the opening page of the site. Remember to reinforce proper use of materials and copyright. The best way to avoid trouble here is to capture your own images, use royalty free music, and create the videos to be used. Anything that is added that has an "M" can be adjusted with Magnoto's special effects. To move objects around on the page, make sure you are clicking on object near the top and have blue highlighting. Images, backgrounds, magnets, and many other bits of flare can be uploaded.

Try this site as an alternative to traditional "about me" activities for the beginning of the year. In guidance classes or health classes, have students create vision boards for goals they want to accomplish. Assign student groups to create online bulletin boards for assigned project topics. Have students "turn in" web addresses on a class wiki or directly to you to avoid classtime presentations if time is short, or have students share their site through the interactive whiteboard or projector. There is no need to transport files because it is all stored at their Magnoto url. Have students create a page that is subject specific, such as a leaf collection for biology class. Have students add pictures of leaves that they have taken and instead of traditional tags, use the comment space to provide the needed information about the leaf. As the teacher, you could even create a template to share with the students for how the information should look so you can easily assess the project. Please note: to log back into "your space" once you have logged off, use the address that was created for you upon sign up. If you attempt to log-in from the original Magnoto page, it will be unsuccessful. There is gray tab on the upper right hand corner of your opening Magnoto page. Enter log-in information here to access your editable blog. Users need to be able to locate files and follow on screen instructions.

Hate to waste paper? Use this free resource to print web pages without wasted white space, ads, or extra pages. Enter the URL (web address) of the website you wish to print, rearrange the elements, and print! To rearrange, edit the items on the left navigation bar. Choose to show or hide the background, images, or margins. Change the font or font size. Save your changes as a pdf for later viewing. Create an account for more features such as "change sets" which allow your formatting options to be applied to other pages from the same website and clips. Use the clips or pieces from various web pages to create a simple page that houses them all. Add the bookmarklet to your browser by simply dragging it to your toolbar. Be sure to check out the demo and videos.

In the Classroom

Use in the classroom to save paper and printing ink. Teach students to remove unwanted images and change margins to fit the content on a page. Be sure students save the page as a pdf to view and print again later if needed. Model an environmentally friendly classroom with the use of this resource. Be sure to check with your tech department on the ability to add bookmarklets to the browser toolbar. This resource can be used without signing up - a bonus for the classroom! Use this when technology access is low or you want to print an activity for students to do when you are not there to supervise the technology use. Create in-class reading from blogs or other websites appropriate for your classroom. Make a pdf that can be opened on your interactive whiteboard without all the ads and clutter of the web page so students can annotate, highlight, and even practice reading comprehension skills such as "main idea." List this link on your class website for families to try at home! Use it to share articles with parents, as well--as long as you model proper behavior by giving credit. Best practice ALWAYS includes a url and title/author on any printed article from the web.

The Outliner of Giants is a free, web-based outline program designed to support large, complex documents, such as reports and academic thesis. You can embed content from sites, such as YouTube Videos and PDF documents or simply attach your own files. You can export your outlines at anytime to your Google docs. The service uses Google's own user account system and an HTTPS internet connection. You and your students will be able to access your outline on your computer, iPads, tablets, smart phones, and Androids.

In the Classroom

On an interactive whiteboard or projector, create an outline of facts or concepts in any subject area. You can assign students to "outline" a chapter or story or assign groups to create study guides using this tool. Why not use a student-operated IWB at the side (as a "sidebar") during lessons and have students continuously add to the outline as a set of class notes. This will help them to become familiar with the traditional, formal outlining format. The class can create outlines together, after a brainstorming session using a tool such as Popplet reviewed here. Use Outliner of Giants for literature activities, research projects, social studies, or science topics. Create family trees or menus in family and consumer science. Have students collaborate together (online) to create group outlines before tests on a given subject. Have students organize any concepts you study: outline a story, plotline, or plan for the future; outline a step-by-step process (life cycle). As students discover whether they are more visual or verbal, allow them to choose between outline and mindmap/concept map as a planning tool.

This is a great tool for you or your students to use to plan a resume, a masters thesis, or any academic thesis. You may want to suggest Outliner of Giants to students to plan their letter of introduction when submitting college applications. You might even want to use it in your own graduate program!

Primary Pad is a web-based collaborative word processor perfect for students (both elementary and secondary.) The tool is straightforward and easy to navigate. Up to five people can simultaneously collaborate in real time on a single web document using a free, public account. Each contributor's text is highlighted in a different color. There is a side chat window that allows for dialogue. A free Primary Pad Public account allows you to save up to ten revisions of a document for 30 days. The "timeslider" feature replays the sequence of edits and the development of the text. This makes it easy to assess the contributions of each team member. Share and edit text files by importing them directly into a Primary Pad document. With a Public account, documents are read only files. Send private invites to people you want to have "read and write" privileges. It is possible to access Primary Pad in eighteen different languages. Once a document is complete, export it as a PDF, Word doc., and HTML file directly onto a desktop.

There is a free three-month trial account that allows files to be either public or private. After three months, you will be notified and asked if you'd like to continue your account as a paying customer. Paid accounts offer additional features. Such as the paintbrush tool, and the file switches into "Primary Paint" mode. The paint mode lets users draw, insert shapes, use background colors, capture a website screenshot and search for images on Flicker. Upload PowerPoint, PDFs, JPGs, GIFs or PNGs from your desktop and use them in a "Paint" document. Use the embed code provided to share the results of a Primary Pad document on a class or personal website. Share a document via url so designated individuals can immediately begin "real-time" collaboration. Send invitations out to participants through email or simply write down the URL.

In the Classroom

This site may or may not be fully accessible inside your school filtering. You will want to be sure that all portions you plan to use are available when using your school's network.
No login or account sign up is necessary for a "Public" account. You or students can simply click the "Create a Public Pad" button and start typing. Discuss acceptable uses and consequences before introducing the site. The downside of this is that anyone who has the link can access a document, and the work is not password protected. Make sure students understand not to share the link with anyone they do not trust or want contributing. Have students use initials or assign logical pseudonyms (Ex. MsGper2-12, MsGper2-13, etc.) for their user names. Keep your own record of their user names for accountability in case there are any problems. The free public pad option saves a single file for 30 days, so plan accordingly!

All academic subjects can benefit from "real-time" document creation. Student teams can communicate and create presentations after-school, when sick at home, traveling, or even in-class. Divide students into cooperative learning groups to explore the site. In science class, have students draft their observations and results from an experiment together. Let students assume the persona and dialogue of a designated character from a literature study book and add an additional scene. Have students re-write a fable with another student(s). Develop a peer-tutor writing program with older students at a different school site. Provide immediate feedback to students as they write drafts. Use the "timeslider" to assess contributions each team member is making to group projects. Embed the finished product onto the school website for others to read. Writing teachers will love viewing and debriefing time-lapses of the writing/revision process using the slider.

Use maps from around the world as an entry point for information, statistics, and discussions. Create or view maps that communicate information; then share your maps with others. View maps made by others by clicking on the Gallery or Featured Maps. Hover over the map to view a description, reviews, and more details. Within the site, you will find tools for building and sharing maps. Click on Map to view directions for creating your own map. Find a variety of basemaps, specialty layers, applications, and tools that you can use to create an awesome map. Find helpful collaborative groups. Create web apps and mobile apps as well. Your maps can be shared by url or embedded in a wiki, blog, or web page.

If you simply wish to use maps created by others, no special skills or login are needed. Click on areas of the map to zoom in to find the content layers. Click on the little icons at the top left hand column (hover over to see description.) Click on the map legend to get a key for the icons. You can even add to already existing maps!

In the Classroom

Create a login to create a map, rate maps, or join a group. Follow the directions for creating a map.

Use existing maps to obtain information about a wide variety of topics and issues. Assign a map for students to explore and practice both map skills while accessing content information on environmental issues, economics, current events, world cultures, and more. Provide time for students to view the information and record what they see and connections they make about the material. Offer some thought-provoking questions, such as, "Which part of the world seems to have the highest gas prices? Why?" Create a mind map or use an interactive whiteboard to sketch out all of the information students have found. Use a tool such as bubbl.us (reviewed here) to create and share mind maps. Have student groups find relevant information, statistics, and resources to understand the map. Work together as a class to add information to a local map about watershed, pollution sources, or animal habitats. Allow students to add relevant layers or create their own maps when completing projects, researching issues, or learning concepts from class. Challenge student groups to build global perspective by exploring a location and learn as much about it as they can by viewing a wide variety of the maps from the Gallery. Have them generate a map information and comparison challenge for peers based on the maps available in the Gallery. In world language classes, have students gather knowledge about a country where their language is spoken and share it in oral discussions (in the new language, of course!).

Identify plagiarized work quickly and easily with this free site. Simply copy and paste your text into the text box. Click the checkboxes to search over the web or the news as well as advanced search options in different languages and other features. View results in a timeline form as well as summaries of where the passages are on the web. Click the links in the summary to go directly to the pages. Click "Check URL" along the top left. Enter a URL instead of copying and pasting text if your document is on a specific web page. Create an alert to enter your text found on the web. Plagium checks the web and alerts you when it has been used. This feature requires registration.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Use Plagium for free without login unless you need advanced features such as ongoing alerts for plagiarism of your material by others. Use this service to check for student plagiarism in assigned work. Have students demonstrate it on interactive whiteboard or projector as you teach about plagiarism and/or evaluating web sources. This is a powerful way to show how difficult it is to determine original content on the web. Students will also find this tool useful in checking whether their sources are legitimate. Students may find this a useful service to be sure their own work is not plagiarized.

Looking for a different, engaging way for students to create reports? At ZimmerTwins.com you can create and share movies on your own or using their starter videos. Share created movies using the code generated after publication. You must be a member to save movies; membership is free. You can create one account to be used by both you and your students. There is a page just for teachers with lesson ideas to use with your students. Students do not need drawing skills; they simply insert and edit characters and text available with the site.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Even in the younger grades, the students would enjoy sharing these clips on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Create a class video together on your interactive whiteboard. Publish the video on your website or blog. Assign groups of students to create videos with facts on lessons learned (one group does reptiles, another mammals, another birds, etc.) to create a group of videos to cover your entire unit. Challenge students to create a persuasive video as a starter before a writing project. Use the movies already on the site as story starters for struggling writers.

Welcome to your one stop holiday shop filled with a plethora of Thanksgiving ideas. Information, stories, recipes, blogs, crafts and Ecards fill the site. Fun facts and folklore give the extras you might not even know about. Presidential proclamations from the past five presidents give insight into our country historical perspectives and first hand information. Videos of recipes from the appetizers to the desserts help give a detailed explanation to make the perfect dish. An interactive fun game of Turkey Bowl puts you in the Thanksgiving spirit. This is a great site for much needed Thanksgiving information and celebrations.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Lead your students to this site filled with information. Research can determine the many myths and true information about Thanksgiving. Allow students to plan and make parts of their Thanksgiving feast. Find fun activities, crafts, decorations to make your celebration perfect with your students and families. Add at a center for timely fun information and research time. Link this to your class website or wiki for parent information and extensions at home.

This site offers three stories about the "Real Story of Thanksgiving." Discover the real story of Thanksgiving, a teacher introduction, and the Plymouth Thanksgiving Story. The Manatake are trying to preserve and protect their history and place of worship. Find fascinating information on Thanksgiving from a different perspective.

In the Classroom

Challenge your students to take a different point of view on Thanksgiving. Follow the historical information of the Manatake to see their Thanksgiving story. Lead students through a Socratic seminar to think about who really was thankful. Why should the people at the time celebrate? Write essays using reflections on the purpose of reflection and celebration. Determine if similar situations still exist today. Lead your students to a service-learning project to help others.